George Floyd, an African American man, died during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The man was handcuffed and lying face down on a street in the Powderhorn community, while Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis police officer, kept his knee on the right side of the man's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, which eventually killed him, according to an independent coroner's report. The man's death is one of many deaths that have happened at the hands of police officers that have been recorded on video, and George's death in particular got the attention of millions across the world, who took to the streets to protest. Others took to social media to express their grief over his death, and others demanded justice.
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Celebrities participated in Black Out Tuesday on Tuesday, June 2, in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other black citizens at the hands of police. They joined the #TheShowMustBePaused initiative created by two black women in the music industry in observance of the long-standing racism and inequality that exists in the industry and in the country. The stars were supposed to not share any new music or post any marketing content while allowing other voices to be amplified. Some celebs took more than a week to break their silence, while other messages of support were a bit tone deaf—like Karol G—and still other celebrities have remained completely silent. However, stars like Demi Lovato, Cardi B, and Ricky Martin have been using their platforms to spread knowledge and express their rage. Scroll through to see which other Latino celebrities have been posting about the situation, and see what they had to say.
Demi Lovato is heavily expressing support.
The singer's entire Instagram page is flooded with posts about the situation and about the injustices in the country that black people face. She shared a post about George Floyd's death and captioned it: "This is not okay. And it will not stop until everyone does their part. Especially white people. I said it recently and I’ll say it again, do not let your discomfort surrounding social issues prevent you from speaking up for those IN DANGER. And reality is, until this STOPS COMPLETELY – THE BLACK COMMUNITY WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN DANGER. DO YOUR PART. THIS INVOLVES YOU TOO. #GeorgeFloyd, I hope you RIP because it isn’t fair so many didn’t do their part to ensure you lived in peace."
Jennifer Lopez said her piece.
"My beautiful friends… This is a matter of humanity!!! Of goodness and basic human kindness and decency!!! My heart is breaking. So many people are hurting right now. How can anyone say they love this country and not do something when they see lives cut short because of the color of their skin?
We need to erase the fear and hatred that exists. Not erase people. We are all God’s children. We need to love and appreciate all the beautiful things that every individual person is," she said along with a video of Martin Luther King, Jr. "There are more of us who live a life of love and acceptance than those who live in rage and hate. Do not let the angry, and hateful win!! Say something. Do something. Let’s build bridges not burn them. We have lost our way these past few years but we can find our way back. We need to speak up and speak love. Every chance we get… we need to storm the polls in November and VOTE… we need change!!! Somethings got to change!! #JusticeForGerogeFloyd #GeorgeFloyd #BreonnaTaylor #AhmaudArbery #TooManyOthers."
Chiquis Rivera sent a powerful message.
"I am with black lives matter and I feel like if you are too you should be speaking too," she said in the clip. "And if you're just simply ignoring it, you don't care." Chiquis paused the promotion of her latest album Playlist to share her thoughts and express her support for the movement in her video. "#BlackLivesMatter ✊ ✊ ✊ ✊ ✊ I see you. I understand you… and I WILL SPEAK UP for YOU!! #UnitedWeStand #DividedWeFall #BlackLivesMatter #GeorgeFloyd," she captioned the post.
Vanessa Bryant shared her thoughts as well.
"My husband wore this shirt years ago and yet here we are again. #ICANTBREATHE (repost/photo credit unknown) plz tag Life is so fragile. Life is so unpredictable. Life is too short. Let’s share and embrace the beautiful qualities and similarities we all share as people," she wrote. "Drive out hate. Teach respect and love for all at home and school. Spread LOVE. Fight for change- register to VOTE. Do not use innocent lives lost as an excuse to loot. BE AN EXAMPLE OF THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE. #BLACKLIVESMATTER ❤️."
Alex Rodriguez shared a powerful video.
Alex shared a video created by Nike. "Don’t do it. Don’t turn your back on racism. Don’t sit back and be silent. Don’t think you can’t be part of the change. My heart is breaking right now," he captioned the video. "So many people are hurting. We all need to speak up and spread love. Don’t sit and watch. Do something. Let’s all be part of the change. ❤️."
Gina Rodriguez's account also went silent.
The actress has a long history with speaking out against racial issues, but she has also been in hot water for saying the wrong thing regarding black Americans. This time she chose to take a step back while also expressing her support. "I stand in solidarity with my black sisters and brothers. I’m listening and I’m learning. #blackouttuesday," she captioned this post.
Becky G shared a thoughtful post.
She urged her fans to be anti-racist. "There are not enough words to express the millions of emotions Ive been feeling as a member of the overall minority community, but most importantly as an ally to the black communities that have and still are being directly affected by past and present events. I am proud of the people I follow and fans that I see reposting resources–to better themselves, to bring awareness and to uplift one another and stand in solidarity. But I urge you all to consider who you are offline and what else we can do, to not just place bandaids on gun shot wounds. To those who are not talking about this with friends, family, fans–YOU are part of the systemic problem," she wrote. "If you are not outraged and heartbroken by the fact that BLACK LIVES have been shamelessly killed for far too long, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM. If you aren’t furious about 'leaders' in powerful positions, threatening VIOLENCE on their own people and promoting racism, YOU ARE PART OF THE [expletive] PROBLEM.
I stand with #blacklivesmatter. & if you too stand against racism, I ask you to please visit the link in my bio. It will lead you to some of the petitions, phone numbers, and other useful resources that are working to help the overall cause. Please join me in elevating the voices the system has tried to silence for too long. https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#."
J Balvin vows to educate himself more on black American issues.
The reggaetonero shared a long and thoughtful statement acknowledging that he needs to educate himself more about the suffering and history of black Americans in this country. Like a lot of Latinos who made this country their second home, it's important for us all to educate ourselves and those around us.
Eva Longoria is silencing her account.
Eva decided to provide space for people's voices to be heard. "I saw the #AmplifyMelanatedVoices challenge created by @blackandembodied and @jessicawilson.msrd and I am taking it! From June 1-7, I will mute myself to amplify Black voices and leadership. Here are some voices we should be listening to. Follow and learn and do the work," she wrote, sharing a list of other pages to follow. "I do not have the answers but I do believe together we can come up with some. #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #EqualJustice ✊ ✊ ✊ ."
Sofía Vergara is taking this time to listen.
Sometimes it is best to just sit back and listen so that we can learn from people who know better than us, and that is what the Modern Family actress is doing. "Now is the time to listen and support. BLM ," she wrote.
Ricky Martin is no stranger to activism.
Ricky Martin has been fighting the good fight for his people in Puerto Rico for years, and he is making sure to stand up for this cause, too. He shared an important quote from Martin Luther King Jr. that said: “And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.”
Cardi B has not stopped using her voice.
Cardi B has not been holding back her opinion one bit when it comes to this case. Unlike other celebrities who waited days to post their statements, the rapper took to Instagram in no time to share her thoughts on the George Floyd death—and hasn't stopped posting about it since. "Enough is enough! What will it take ? A civil war ? A new president? Violent riots? It’s tired! I’m tired ! The country is tired !You don’t put fear in people when you do this you just show how coward YOU ARE ! And how America is really not the land of the free!" she captioned her post.
Selena Gomez shared a powerful take.
"I have spent the last 24 hours just trying to process this all. Nothing anyone says can take back what has happened. But we can and must all make sure to take action," she captioned her post. "Too many black lives have been taken from us for far too long. They deserve better. They deserve to be heard. We all need to do better and not sit in silence as this injustice continues. #blacklivesmatter #justiceforgeorgefloyd #icantbreathe."
Karol G's posts landed her in hot water.
Karol G was called out for posting a tone-deaf message on Twitter, for which she later had to explain and rectified with an apology. Her intial post said that we are all the "human race," which many believe is counterproductive to the movement that supports the black community being celebrated for who and what they are. "I don't know who came up with the idea of dividing society by 'Races'. You don't have a white friend, a black cousin or a Caucasian partner. You have a friend, a cousin, and a partner," she tweeted in May. "There is only one Race of which we ALL are part of The human race." People were not pleased with her take, and Karol said she would continue to educate herself.
Zoe Saldaña stood up for her sons.
The Guardians of the Galaxy actress shared some powerful graphics on her Instagram account, and her message was powerful. "Let this be very clear! On behalf of my sons! Our lives matter! Period!!!" she wrote.
Daddy Yankee's account went black.
As part of the music industry's effort to show solidarity, Daddy Yankee shared this post on June 2 to support the movement.
Ivy Queen had plenty to say.
"The world cries and burns with rage for justice!! Everything we ever feared about politics is turning out to be true. Including what they will do to keep power.
People who stand for hate and division want us to be divided," she captioned the post. "Stand together!!! Stay safe, Stay bless!! May God help us all! JUSTICE FOR ALL INCLUDING OUR LATINOS!!"
America Ferrera shared her thoughts.
The Superstore actress demanded that people take action. "The horror, injustice & pervasiveness of it is almost paralyzing. But we can’t be paralyzed. We have to make it stop. Text 'Floyd' to 55156 to demand the officers who killed #GeorgeFloyd are charged with murder. #JusticeForFloyd," she wrote.
Luis Fonsi was deeply moved by George Floyd's death.
The singer also joined in on the #TheShowMustBePaused campaign, but prior to that he shared an image of George Floyd's death. "I can’t get this image out of my head! I can’t stay quiet either. Everyday innocent people are dying because the color of their skin. This man was murdered. His life mattered. Rest In Peace #GeorgeFloyd," he captioned the heartbreaking post.
Kat DeLuna shared her feelings.
"Kill racism at the root. Racism starts at home through the beliefs that are instilled in our children. We lose when we allow racism and prejudice to have a voice in our communities. White friends, start by correcting racist narratives around you," she wrote. "Latinos, start by educating yourselves about your African heritage and embrace it.. WE ARE BLACK. America stop killing our Black People. Stop running the other way when you see a black man. Do start by killing hate in you ‼️‼️ It is time #georgefloyd #blacklivesmatter #stopkillingblackpeople #tellingitlikeitis."
Camila Cabello was reportedly spotted marching in the streets.
"I’ve been trying to find the right words to say after I saw the video where George Floyd’s life is being taken from him with impunity… I am so sorry to George Floyd’s family and Ahmaud Arbery’s family, And Breonna Taylor’s family and to the countless other black families that have their children and parents being taken away from them," she also wrote on Instagram. "I stand with you in outrage and I have called Minnesota Governor Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison , and Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman, their numbers and what to say is on the ACLU website, and I urge you to please call, please sign the petitions, and let’s stand together for justice. We need a change, we can’t afford to be silent, and we can’t afford a society that’s indifferent to others pain. #BlackLivesMatter #WeCantBreathe."
Salma Hayek is speaking out.
"Enough was enough a long time ago. How many more lives and loved ones will need to be lost before this ends? #icantbreathe #georgefloyd," she shared along with her post on Instagram.
